On a day not very long ago, roughly last month actually, Fier Nocht was sitting at his bedroll in the Minoc mining camp thinking "Man, I am bored as hell! I really need to strike a big vein of something, ANYTHING and hit up the taverns!" He mulled around ideas for an hour or two, listening to the other miners as they came in. Suddenly he overheard two of them talking about how one's cousin was a warrior and got seriously injured after a drake got loose from moonglow zoo. Fier had an idea! "I know, I bet the cave walls in Destard are FULL of ore and gems. with my spell book and my trusty lil bow i should be fine in there!" So he set off, making sure to steal 2 large gourds full of lantern fuel from the supply tent. He strapped them to his waist and snagged the nearest horse who stubbornly trotted off towards the swamps of destard. Once they arrived, Fier excitedly lept from the back of the horse and darted inside the massive cave system. He quickly looked around the main cave and spotted a drake viciously gnawing on the bones of some sort of unidentifiable prey. Fier opened his spell book and whispered "An Lor Xen" and promptly vanished from sight. He continued to survey the cave walls and floors until he spied a bright gleam among a pile of rocks due west of the drake, that was just now finishing his snack. "let's see if this will get that beasts attention" he thought to himself as he slowly wrapped a bandage around the tip of an arrow and dipped it in his lantern fuel. From his position as invis, he lit the arrow with his lantern and drew it back in his bow. He aimed for a stalactite over by the east wall and fired. The flaming arrow sizzled as it flew through the air, smacking the tip of the rock formation, breaking it and shattering the tip against the ground. The drake at full attention rushes over to where the sound was and sniffs all around. "Ha! got em" fier said as he ran the opposite direction. 'An Lor Xen" he whispered hurriedly and was hidden from view by his goal. He first casually reached out for the gemstone shining amongst the rocks but soon realized it was fast stuck. Slinging his bow over one shoulder he grabs his pickaxe from his back and tries using the tip to pry the gem free, to no avail. "Damn it!" he exclaimed to himself "I don't want to make too much noise" He raised his pick up about midway and let it come down with a Thunk on the rocks to the side of the gemstone. They rapidly fall away revealing the gem to be roughly the size of fier's fist. " Now we're talking" He thought to himself grasping at the gem, completly ignoring the sudden draft that rushed past his hand. Almost instantly the cave floor began to shake and then collapse, swallowing fier up into it. When the dust had settled, Fier looked around, makign sure his lantern was not damaged in the fall. He noticed the walls were no longer natural, but made of a dark grey stone, and covered with moss and mold. The unmistakable scent of putrid flesh overwhelmed his nostrils, making him gag a little. he looked up at the hole, "too far up there, I'll never be able to climb out"..He rummaged through his pack, "where in the hell did i put that rune to the bank" he thought as he searched feverishly, finding nothing. He then remembered that he had tucked it up under his bedroll the night before. "Well. son of blackthorne's mother... what am I going to do now?" He lifted his lantern and decided to walk down towards the unholy stench. As he approached the end of the apparent tomb, he noticed a tall figure sitting on the floor. It was holding 4 crystal balls in a pyramid in it's right hand, swirling them around. Above the figure was a scroll with arcane writing on it. Fier had never seen this script before. At the very top of the scroll was a portrait, dark and splotchy, of a man drinking a glass of wine and holding an ankh necklace. The figure began to lean forward, his rotting flesh becoming lit, his hair as white as snow. He smirked grimly as he spoke "welcome to my abode, Mr. nocht" the bit of flesh below his bottom lip began to slide from his face. "As you will find, there is no physical way out of here. Even with my magic I cannot leave. I have been bound to this place as penance for a horrible deed." "I tire of this world, this rotting cage...I will make you a deal, if you can end my miserable existence, I will grant you my knowledge of death and life and maybe you can find a way out of this God-forsaken place." He then sneered "it wont be easy though, I am bound by a strong magic to preserve this wretched shell at all costs." "Have at you!" The Lich rose to his feet, towering above Fier. He stood at least 7 foot tall. one of the orbs began to levitate and glow as the lich shouted " VAS FLAM!" and launched it in Fier's direction. Quick on his feet, fier dove to the side as the flames seared his robe. He drew his bow and fired 2 arrows at once at the lich, but they hit his flesh and skidded off, as if deflected by some compelling force. "In Nox!" screamed the lich waving his boney hands frantically. Fier' began to choke and felt like a razor had been slipped into his intestines. "ugh... how do I fight this thing" Fier thought to himself, searching his memory. Feeling very weak, fier dropped to his knees. Softly, he heard a gruff old voice come to him "Look for the relic. every undead has one." it was the voice of Uzeran, Fier's childhood mentor. He suddenly recalled a particularly short lesson on what to do if some strange, smelly "mage" tried to kidnap him. Fier scanned the small room and remembered the portrait above the binding scroll. Fier grabbed a bandage and tied it to 2 arrows, "AN NOX!" he cried purging the poisons from his body as he grabbed his fuel and doused the arrows wtih ti "Vas flam!" wailed the enraged lich as another orb took off towards fier. Anticipating this move, Fier dipped his arrows into the fireballs core, igniting them instantly, and he fired them directly into the scroll and portrait, setting them ablaze. The lich shrieked and charged Fier, who was already dousing his pickaxe with the last of his fuel. Slashing at fier's arm, the walking corpse suddenly stopped. The scroll and the portrait had been reduced to ash., Fier then tossed his lantern into the arms of the lich, and slammed his pick into the lich's chest, turning the robes and flesh into a bright inferno. The lich's magic fuels the fire even more, making the tongues of the flames glow a bright white. Quickly, the dessicated corpse is reduced to bones and ash, the skull dropping to the floor, jaw open. Fier looks around thinking "what now?" as a faint glow approaches him. "thank you for ending my tragic existence. If you wear my skull, you will have my knowledge and my power, and you should be able to get yourself free of here." the glow began to fade "One last thing, Fier. From now on, to all creatures dead or alive we shall know you as The lord of fire, Agni the White flame. Use your new ability wisely and may you find what you seek in life." Fier cautiously picked up the skull, which seemed three times too large to fit over his own head and stuck it on his own. The bones began to creak and fier's mind was flooded with ancient history. the skull appeared to be forming into a snug fitting helmet..."I need to get back to camp" he thought, and suddenly he was beside his bedroll. his pick and bow were laying on the ground beside him, and there was a faint glitter underneath them. buried halfway in the dirt was the diamond as big as his fist. "hehehehe, Bet!" Agni exclaimed as he grabbed the stone and rushed out of his tent to the nearest tavern.